Robin Hood will be ‘key’ feature of Nottingham Castle when it reopens

The councillor who has led efforts to reopen Nottingham Castle says the site will “absolutely” be making more of the city’s Robin Hood heritage in future. Nottingham City Council has announced that the Castle will fully reopen to the public from June 26.

A new pricing structure means that for a family of five, they will be able to buy an annual pass for £24, particularly benefitting those living in Nottingham given that the pass guarantees free access to the site for 12 months. The council has also highlighted the value of the new prices when compared to other nearby attractions such as Belvoir Castle, where an annual family pass costs £125.

But Councillor Pavlos Kotsonis, Nottingham City Council’s portfolio holder for leisure, culture and planning, says a key aspect of drawing people back to the Castle will be the fact that it is more “embracing” of all demographics. In particular, following recent calls for Nottingham to make more of its Robin Hood story, Councillor Kotsonis says this is something which the council wants to reflect much more at the Castle going forward.

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The Castle is already home to Robin Hood Adventures, where people travel through the Castle tunnel and experience the ballads of Robin Hood. This part of the attraction, along with Brewhouse Yard and the Rebellion Galleries, is included in the one-off £12 price that adults will pay to enter the Castle.

But on whether the council wanted to make even more of Robin Hood in future, Councillor Kotsonis said: “Robin Hood is a symbol of Nottingham and many things in Nottingham are named after Robin Hood, you’ll be aware of that. In terms of the Castle, it’s the symbolic home of Robin Hood, so yes absolutely.

“We will have the medieval legends coming up and we’re hoping to have Robin Hood there himself. I think our colleagues in the county agree as well that Robin Hood is key to everything we do.”

The reopening follows a hugely difficult period for Nottingham Castle after the trust previously running it went insolvent last November. The trust had been handed the keys to the Castle by Nottingham City Council in 2021 after a revamp costing over £30 million.

For the majority of its time running the Castle, the trust charged adults £12 for a one-time visit and children £9.50, with the Robin Hood Adventures element not being included in this price. Speaking about the new pricing structure, Councillor Kotsonis said: “A family can save a lot of money with an offer like this, and that is the intention of it.

“There will also be a lot of open days advertised, mainly for the people of Nottingham. Young people and families are a target for us, we want to engage more with more young people. The demographics of Nottingham are such that we need to make this space available for families.”

Councillor Kotsonis also pledged that the business case for the council’s reopening of Nottingham Castle will be made public, saying the political leadership is keen to be “taking ownership and rectifying past mistakes that were made.” Issues during the trust’s time at Nottingham Castle included staff resignations and a report into an alleged racist incident.

The reopening of the site comes after several successful events in the grounds throughout May, which has included screenings of the Coronation Concert and Eurovision Final. Following Friday’s announcement, a new website has also been launched, where people are now able to book advance tickets.

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